Baltimore’s annual Pride Festival has arrived about a month and a half later than usual, but the weekend promises to be as fun and fabulous as ever. Highlights include performances by Martha Wash, Cazwell and Steve Grand along with a high-heel race, parade, street party and festival.

The two main events are split between Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26. Two official party events will occur Friday and Saturday nights. After being moved to Mount Royal Avenue in 2014, the festivals returns to familiar grounds — near Club Hippo on Eager Street and also in Druid Hill Park.

The weekend kicks-off with a Friday night fundraiser at Gertrude’s Restaurant, located at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Tickets are $100 each for Twilight on the Terrace and includes an open bar, silent auction and dancing.

The hugely popular Saturday street party will be held on Cathedral Street. The hilarious but brief High Heel Race will begin promptly at 3 p.m. (Participants’ heels must be at least 2-inches to qualify.) The Pride Parade kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will travel from the Washington Monument up to Chase Street. The Grand Marshall for 2015 is Chuck Bowers, owner of the nightclub, The Hippo, which is closing its doors this fall.

The Block Party begins after the parade, and headliners will include disco icon Martha Wash, gay rapper Cazwell, and TS Madison, a transgender performer widely known for her online rants. Headliners are slated to appear after 8 p.m. According to a map on the official site, the Block Party will have two separate stages this year — a Main Stage in the large lot behind Eddie’s Supermarket, and a Drag Stage on Eager Street in front of the Hippo.

A significant number of corporate sponsors includes the immense Horseshoe Casino which will also be the site of a new Pride Afterparty. The all-night event is set to run from 1-6 a.m. and promises DJ and dancing. Horseshoe is reportedly the only venue to hold a 24-hour liquor license in the city.

Sunday’s Pride Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the stage headliner will be gay country singer Steve Grand. TS Madison is set to appear again on the Lady Lisa Memorial Drag Stage. There will also be a kid-friendly Family Zone, along with food and booths from community organizations.

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JD Uy has been a Metro Weekly webmaster, distribution manager, blogger and videographer since 2002.

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